Backpacking Europe

Hello,
I’m thinking about backpacking Europe next year from beginning of July to around December and I have a question about the Schengen visas, if I get one and I can stay for 90 days without a visa, do I only need a three month visa that would cover the last three months I’d be there for? And because I’m not staying in one country (I’ll be making my way through 30 countries) will it allow me to do that?

Depending on your nationality, you’ll either have visa-free access to the Schengen Area for 90 days, or you will need to get a Schengen visa to cover your travel there for 90 days. You won’t fall into both categories – ie, you can’t extend a visa-free stay by buying a 90-day Schengen visa. Extending your stay in an individual country can sometimes be possible, but it depends on that country’s own policy. You could perhaps get around the problem by planning your visit so that you travel through non-Schengen European countries after your 90 days are up…

Hello, like Helen said, you will need to work your trip so you enter and leave the Schengen zone. But travelling 30 countries I’m sure you could do this. And again, depending on your nationality, not all nationalities are entitled to 90 day visa free entry. You would be best off contacting your local consulate and getting the facts straight from the horses mouth.

My wife and I (from the US) are contending with the Schengen Agreement now. Mid December will be 90 days in the Schengen for us. The problem is our tickets to Thailand from Rome aren’t until January. To remedy that we are going to Cyprus for half a month to log some time outside of the Schengen area. We also looked at going to Turkey and Croatia. The whole ordeal is frustrating. We felt like we had to rush through most of Europe but C’est la vie! You could also stay in the UK (except Ireland). It’s a 6 month visa for US tourists and it’s outside of Schengen.